(continued)
If
the other teams had been in, where were they, as usually after finding the last station is time to have a drink, get changed and have a chat with other competitors. We looked at the map, and found that there was another way up to the wood, coming along the footpath from the other direction. We therefore decided to drive round to the other end of the footpath to have chat, but when we got there - no-one was to be seen.
The
only possible explanation was that other teams may have done C, then this one, A, then back to B. It could be possible that we might have won, but it all depends on how quick others may have done their three in another order. We would have to wait until we got back to tea to find out.
Back
at tea, some people were saying that they only managed to find two stations, and of those who found three, all seemed to have finished around twenty past four. It now really seemed as though we might have won, but you never quite know until the results are read out. Working backwards, we listened for Phil's name, but it did not come. Finally, Graham read out Brian as coming second... we had beaten Brian... then... "finding his third transmitter at 1555 and 29 seconds, Phil Cunningham". We had won the National Final again!
This
year was a Golden Year for us, because not only did Phil collect the National Trophy, he also collected the Rosebowl, which we had won after the 7th qualifying event, as by then nobody could catch us on the last event.
On
Phil's mantelpiece there now reposes the National Trophy, Rosebowl, Banbury Shield and the Colchester shield, won on the first event of the season. |
